The Lay of Ciner
by Tvtyrant
Summary: A story of the adventures of the young monster hunter Ciner as he travels the world. AU


Ciner found magic as difficult as always. Magic was a lot like math, he thought grimly, in that you either understood it or not, and there was no way to bullshit magic. The spell he was attempting to cast was an extremely complicated one, but memorizing it was essential for his life goal. Being a monster hunter was impossible without the ability to create and maintain capture crystals. The formula he was currently using was the simplest and weakest, but it was the only one even close to simple enough for him to understand.

The rune on the stone tile was drawn in red and white crystal dust and was shaped like an eye with three ropes coming out of it and making a lasso. Ciner stood there looking into the eye with one eye open and the other one closed, trembling with the effort of keeping his closed eye open to the inner world. Things reminiscent of deep sea animals but stretched to improbable proportions flickered around in the murk of the negative world, their teeth and tentacles unable to bridge the gap between the worlds. He warped the mists into the shape of the negative glyph to the rune; three eyes held together by a single twisted rope. Ciner unfocused his eyes until the two symbols temporarily overlapped, and in a flash of energy the spell was finished. Ciner's head snapped back as if he had been struck, and he felt a tremendous migraine mounting between his temples, but in front of him sat a flawless red and white orb with an eye carved into the front of it.

He had spent the better part of six months learning how to make a capture crystal and he felt incredible pride that his first attempt had turned out so well. Obviously he would need more practice before he could make them quickly or painlessly but he had made one nonetheless, which qualified him for getting a monster in time for the newbie handout that occurred once every two years. If he hadn't gotten this one finished he would have had to wait two years for the next chance, when most of the hunters in his age group were planning to get theirs. There were some other 12 year olds involved in Monster Hunting, so he wasn't unique, but most people who decided to take part waited until they were 14. And until you were 15 you couldn't get involved in hunting real monsters anyway, only the spell created ones released into the parks for them to practice on.

Ciner picked up the capture crystal and walked back to his room, his eyes feeling like they were going to burst out of his head. He laid down on his bed and feel into a shallow sleep, hearing the voices of his parents downstairs where they found the magic book he had accidentally left where they could see it. His mother began to argue that they shouldn't allow him to either practice magic or indulge his interest in monster hunting any further, while his father responded every once in a while to remember Ciner's age and that he should be allowed to work towards any career he wanted. After all most teens of that age were beginning their apprenticeships, and monster hunting was certainly more lucrative then being an inn owner like himself. Ciner slowly tuned the voices out as he fell into a deeper sleep, waking up as the sun began to go down. He yawned as he walked into their mostly empty inn room, with a few farmers who liked to have a drink after a hard day's work sitting at a table by the fire. He made his way behind the bar and into the kitchen where his mother worked.

She was currently stirring a massive cauldron of stew, her grey hair held up in a strict bun and her stout form obscured by an ankle length apron. She didn't look up from the stew, but Ciner knew she knew he was there. She was waiting for the tension to build up as a way of asserting authority; by not saying hello immediately Ciner had already lost the battle for control. Now it was just a matter of waiting through whatever tirade she had cooked up. She looked up at the ceiling for a moment, and then turned back to the stew, talking into it as she stirred. "Your father had decided that you will be allowed to take up monster hunting as a profession on the grounds that you have put far more initiative into it then anything else you have done so far. I don't think you should do it, but your father is adamant that you get a job of some sort. Besides your sister _likes_ to work here, so it would be unfair to split the inn between you when you wouldn't do anything with it and she would. So go do what you want with your life." And here she paused and turned to look at Ciner, tears running down her face. "Just promise me that whatever you do, you do because it will make you happy."

Ciner felt a tremendous confliction as he looked up at his mother, her face so sad and serious about something that had seemed nothing more than a boyish adventure until this moment. He would be _leaving_ to wander the world fighting monsters with his life at stake and would never live here again. He could come back and visit, but this inn wouldn't be his home anymore. Ciner felt the tears begin to run down his cheeks as he grabbed his mother and hugged her tightly. "I promise. I love you mom." And then he forced himself to let go, feeling her arms loosen around him. He bolted from the kitchen and out into the cold. The rain dripping down from the sky hid his tears from the passing neighbors, and he forced himself to just stand there silently until he was under control. "_Goodbye"_


End file.
